Mask with noise-making device



April 22, 1969 GREEN 3,439,447

MASK WITH NOISE-MAKING DEVICE Filed April 17, 1968 INVENTOR. JOSEPH GREEN AT TORNE Y United States Patent 3,439,447 MASK WITH NOISE-MAKING DEVICE Joseph Green, 54 Prospect Ave., Hewlett, NY. 11557 Filed Apr. 17, 1968, Ser. No. 729,864 Int. Cl. A63h /00 US. Cl. 46--175 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A mask of resilient plastic shaped to conceal at least the mouth portion of the wearers face includes a rearwardly directed tubular extension having an inwardly directed flange at its back end and depressions spaced forwardly from the flange to be gripped by the wearers lips when the tubular extension is received in the wearers mouth, whereby to hold the mask in front of the wearers face, and a noise-making device, for example, a membrane stretched across a ring, is held in the tubular extension against the flange of the latter by the aforementioned depressions so as to be orally operable by the wearer of the mask.

This invention relates generally to masks of the kind used for concealing or disguising the identity of the wearer.

An object of this invention is to provide masks having noise-makers as parts thereof.

Another object is to provide a mask shaped to conceal at least the mouth portion of the wearers face and having a rearwardly directed extension adapted to extend into, and be gripped by the wearers mouth for holding the mask in front of the wearers face, with a noise-making device being mounted in the extension for oral operation by the wearer of the mask.

In accordance with an aspect of the invention, the rearwardly directed extension of the mask which is to be gripped in the wearers mouth is of tubular configuration, and the noise-making device is in the form of a ring secured in such tubular extension and having a membrane extending thereacross to vibrate and produce a buzzing musical sound when the wearer hums into the tubular extension.

In accordance with another feature of the invention, the back end of the tubular extension has an inwardly directed flange, and inwardly directed depressions are formed at least in the top and bottom of the tubular extension at locations spaced forwardly from the flange so that the ring of the noise-making device is held between the flange and depressions, and the latter are adapted to be gripped by the wearers lips for holding the mask in front of the wearers face.

The above, and other objects, features and advantages of the invention, will be apparent in the following detailed description of illustrative embodiments thereof which is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view of a mask embodying this invention and which is adapted to cover only the lower portion of the wearers face shown in broken lines thereon;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken along the line 22 on FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a still further enlarged sectional view taken along the line 3-3 on FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of a full-face mask embodying this invention.

Referring to the drawings in detail, and initially to FIGS. 1 and 2 thereof, it will be seen that the mask embodying this invention, as there illustrated, is shaped,

3,439,447 Patented Apr. 22, 1969 "ice preferably by vacuum forming of a suitable plastic, for example, polystyrene or acetate, to simulate a mustache and beard, that is, to cover at least the mouth portion of the wearers face indicated by broken lines at 11. In accordance with this invention, the mouth covering portion of the mask 10 is formed with a rearwardly directed extension 12 which is adapted to extend into, and be gripped by the wearers mouth for holding the mask 10 in its operative position in front of the wearers face, as shown on FIG. 2. Thus, it is unnecessary to provide the mask 10 with the usual elastic band intended to extend around the wearers head for securing the mask in front of the wearers face.

Further, in accordance with this invention, the rearwardly directed extension 12 of the mask which is to be gripped in the wearers mouth is provided with a noisemaking device 13 which is adapted for oral operation by the wearer of the mask. Thus, the wearer can simultaneously grip the extension 12 in his mouth for securing the. mask in its operative position and operate the noisemaking device 13.

As shown particularly on FIG. 2, the rearwardly directed extension 12 is preferably of tubular, open-ended configuration, while the noise-making device 13 secured within such tubular extension 12 preferably includes a ring 14 of cardboard or other substantially rigid material and a membrane 15 of tissue paper or the like secured to ring 14 and extending across the opening of the latter to vibrate and produce a buzzing musical sound when the wearer hums into the tubular extension 12.

In order to secure the noise-making device 13 within tubular extension 12, the latter is preferably formed with an inwardly directed flange 16 at its back end to form a seat for the ring 14, and the tubular extension 12 is further formed with inwardly directed, chordal depressions 17 spaced forwardly from the flange 16. By reason of the resilience of the plastic material from which the mask 10 is molded, the noise-making device 13 can be pressed into the tubular extension 12 through the open front end of the latter and past the depressions 17 so that the latter thereafter function to hold the noise-making device 13 against the flange or seat 16. Although depressions 17 are shown, on FIG. 3, to be formed in the top, bottom and opposite sides of tubular extension 12, such depressions are necessary only in the top and bottom of the tubular extension. Such top and bottom extensions, as shown on FIG. 2, are adapted to be gripped by the wearers lips when the extension 12 is received in the mouth, thereby to permit the comfortable and convenient gripping of the extension 12 and avoiding any interference with the humming necessary to effect operation of the noise-making device 13.

Although the mask 10 of FIGS. 1 and 2 is only a partial mask intended to extend over only the lower portion of the wearers face, FIG. 4 illustrates that a full-face mask 10a may also be constructed in accordance with this invention so as to have an open-ended, rearwardly directed tubular extension adapted toextend into, and be gripped by the wearers mouth for holding the fullface mask 10a in front of the wearers face, and containing a noise-making device 13a adapted to be orally operated by the wearer of the mask. Apart from the fact that the mask 10a is intended to cover the entire face, it will be understood that such mask is otherwise the same as the mask 10 described in detail above.

Although illustrative embodiments of this invention have been described in detail herein with reference to the accompanying drawing, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to those precise embodiments, and that various changes and modifications may be effected therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope or spirit of the invention, except as defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A mask of resilient plastic shaped to conceal at least the mouth portion of the Wearers face when held in front of the latter and including a rearwardly directed tubular extension adapted to extend into the wearers month, said tubular extension having an inwardly directed flange at its back end and inwardly directed depressions spaced forwardly from said flange at least in the top and bottom of said tubular extension and adapted to be gripped by the Wearers lips for holding the mask in front of the wearers face, and a noise-making device held in said tubular extension against said flange by said depressions, said device being adapted for oral operation by the wearer of the mask.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 542,366 7/1895 Lemos 46-175 1,214,028 1/1917 Hainert.

U.S.Cl.X.R.

LOUIS G. MANCENE, Primary Examiner.

R. F. CUTTING, Assistant Examiner. 

